EFFECTS OF PLANTING SPACING ON SEED YIELD, PROXIMATE AND GROSS ENERGY COMPOSITIONS OF Clitoria ternatea IN DERIVED SAVANNA ZONE OF NIGERIA

A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria, to determine the effect of planting spacing on seed yield, proximate composition and gross energy contents of Clitoria ternatea seeds. Treatments consisted of three different planting spacings (30cm x 30cm, 45cm x 45cm and 60cm x 60cm) laid out in a Randomized Completely Block Design and each treatment was replicated thrice. Results showed that seed yield decreased (P<0.05) with increasing spacing but not in sequential order. Seed yields of 259.4kg, 22.7kg and 202.2kg were recorded for spacing 30cm x 30cm, 60cm x 60cm and 45cm x 45cm, respectively. Crude protein and gross energy contents of the seed increased with increasing spacing. Crude protein contents were 31.7, 33.7 and 35.5% for 30cm x30cm, 45cm x 45cm and 60cm x 60cm, respectively. Similar result trend was observed for gross energy contents and were 400.1, 407.6 and 426.0 (Kcal/100g) for 30cm x 30cm, 45cm x 45cm and 60cm x 60cm, respectively. It can be concluded from this research that 30cm x 30cm spacing produced highest seed yield, while the crude protein and gross energy were appreciable 60cm x 60cm spacing.